New Report, Spearheaded by USC Annenberg's Center for the Digital Future, Finds Online Purchasing Not Yet Part of the Global Internet Experience;
A Majority of Users Believe Only Half of the Information they Find Online is Reliable
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first World Internet Project (WIP) -- a comprehensive global survey on the impact of the Internet, spearheaded by the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication with 13 partner countries and regions -- has found remarkable similarities and significant differences in the way users utilize and rely on the Internet.
"This first international collaboration has revealed a broad and diverse range of insights about online technology, Internet users, and non-users," said Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. "We believe the annual survey will build a new level of understanding about the worldwide use of the Internet."
The World Internet Project -- including countries and regions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania -- marks the initial partnership of research institutions worldwide to compile data on the behavior and views of Internet users and non-users.
Among findings in 76 major subject areas studied by the World Internet Project countries and regions (Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Macao, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States) are:
Looking for product information and buying online
The World Internet Project found broad views and behavior when looking at how users go online for product information or for purchasing. The project found high percentages of users in most of the reporting countries and regions go online for product information; in eight WIP countries and regions, more than 35 percent of users said they go online at least weekly to look for information about a product.
However, in seven of the countries, more than half of those who go online have never made a purchase.
Information on the Internet: is it reliable?
The WIP countries and regions reported wide contrasts in views about the reliability of information found online. While large percentages of users report that most information online is reliable, in 10 WIP countries and regions, 40 percent or more of users also said that one-half or less of information on the Internet is reliable.
WIP partners in which a majority of respondents said that about half, a small portion, or none of the information online is reliable were: urban China (70 percent), Sweden (64), Canada (62), Australia (60), Israel (58), Colombia (52), the United States (52), and New Zealand (51).
Internet use at school
Large percentages of users who are students go online for schoolwork, but significant numbers never do.
Very large percentages of Internet users who are students go online to find information for their school-related work. In 10 of the WIP countries and regions, more than 70 percent of students who are Internet users go online for school-related work at least weekly.
Surprisingly high percentages of students never go online for schoolwork, or do so less than monthly; nine of the WIP countries and regions reported double-digit percentages of these students.
Internet non-users: reasons for not going online
Why are people around the world not online? In every WIP country other than the Czech Republic, Singapore, and the United States, "no interest/not useful" is the most-cited reason.
The expense of going online is not a significant factor in most WIP countries, with 10 percent or less of non-users in all of the countries except the Czech Republic saying that going online was too expensive or they cannot afford the fees.
Downloading videos and music
Relatively low percentages of users go online to download or watch videos.
Only in urban China (37 percent) did more than 30 percent of users go online at least weekly to download or watch videos. However, larger percentages of users go online to download or listen to music; in five WIP countries and regions, more than 30 percent of users go online at least weekly to listen to music or download songs.
The Center for the Digital Future
The Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication founded and organizes the World Internet Project.
Since 2000, the center has conducted the annual Digital Future Project, the most comprehensive year-to-year study of the impact of the Internet and online technology on users and non-users in the United States.
For highlights of the 2009 World Internet Project Report, or to order a copy of the complete report, visit www.digitalcenter.org.
SOURCE University of Southern California Annenberg
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